Rebirth of the Weakest

8: When the Stars Align

When the stars finally align, even the impossible starts to look inevitable.

The Grand Le Clan had not felt this alive in years.

Even before the sun fully cleared the rooftops, disciples had already gathered around the training grounds, trading whispers back and forth like the morning's most valuable currency.

Some looked excited. Some looked shocked. A few looked openly annoyed, arms crossed, clearly hoping the rumors were exaggerated.

Almost every single conversation circled back to one name.

"Did you hear? He actually defeated Wei Lin."

"I heard Wei Lin could not even land a hit back."

"No way. Wei Lin was always the stronger one."

"Except Patriarch Le Jin personally stepped in to stop it."

"And apparently that trash cat spirit turned into a Panther Spirit overnight."

Ken walked through the stone pathways with a basket of herbs balanced against his hip, and the moment people spotted him, the whispers climbed straight into open staring.

"He is here."

"He looks different somehow."

"He does not even look scared anymore."

A few of the younger disciples watched him with something close to admiration. One small boy, maybe eight years old, tugged his older sister's sleeve.

"Sister, is that Brother Le Ken?"

She nodded. "Mother said we are not allowed to bully him anymore."

Ken caught every word and could not quite stop the smile tugging at his mouth. Not long ago, these same people had gone out of their way to avoid him entirely, or worse, made sure he knew exactly how little he mattered. Now the same eyes held something closer to respect, tangled up with a healthy dose of fear and curiosity.

*Strange how quickly people change their minds once you stop losing,* Ken thought. *Though I suppose that is just how this world works. Strength decides everything here. Might as well stop being surprised by it.*

"Brother Ken!"

He turned to find a chubby boy jogging toward him, already out of breath.

"Wait for me," the boy panted.

Ken blinked. "Yu Ming?"

Yu Ming had been one of the few people who bothered talking to him even before the change, never particularly brave about it, always careful to stay neutral in front of others. But he had never once joined the insults either, which counted for a lot more than Ken had realized at the time.

Yu Ming scratched the back of his head, grinning. "You have become kind of amazing, you know that?"

"Still the same person underneath," Ken said with a laugh.

Yu Ming shook his head firmly. "No. You walk differently now."

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

"You walk like someone who actually knows where he is going," Yu Ming said.

Ken paused at that, letting the words settle somewhere deeper than he expected. Maybe Yu Ming was not entirely wrong. For the first time since waking up in this body, he genuinely did know.

Lady Le Li sat at the courtyard table, morning light pooling soft and gold across the wood. The whole scene felt almost unfairly peaceful given everything that had happened the day before.

Ken set the basket down beside her. "Eat something first, mom."

"You have been busy since dawn," she said, watching him with warmth she did not bother hiding anymore.

He poured her tea without being asked. "You need to focus on recovering. Do not worry about me."

She studied him quietly while he moved around the table. The boy in front of her had changed in ways that went well beyond his new strength. Before, Le Ken had been quiet, sensitive, always trying to hide how badly the insults landed. Now he carried himself calm and steady, occasionally too composed for someone his age, almost unsettlingly mature.

"You have grown up," she said softly. "Of course," Ken said, deadpan. "I am practically sixteen now."

She laughed. "You sound like an old man."

Ken nearly choked on his own tea, because technically, that description landed a lot closer to the truth than she realized.

He quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. "How are the injuries today?"

She touched her chest lightly. "It does not hurt nearly as much anymore."

Before he could respond, footsteps entered the courtyard. Patriarch Le Jin appeared, expression composed but not unkind.

"Thank the ancestors," Le Jin said. "The healing has taken hold properly."

Ken stood immediately. "Patriarch."

Le Jin nodded toward Lady Le Li. "Her internal damage has stabilized." Then his gaze shifted to Ken, something wry creeping into it. "You, meanwhile, have caused quite a stir recently."

Ken rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry?"

"You defeated Wei Lin. You provoked Wei Zhan into a bet he will not forget. You publicly embarrassed the entire Wei family." Le Jin sighed, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "You have become troublesome, Le Ken."

Lady Le Li covered her mouth, laughing quietly behind her hand.

"I will try to cause less trouble," Ken offered, unconvincingly.

"You will not," Le Jin said flatly.

"…Probably not," Ken admitted.

That finally broke Le Jin's composure entirely, and he laughed, open and genuine, the first time Ken had seen it happen.

Once Lady Le Li retired to rest, the two of them lingered in the courtyard, the mood settling into something more serious.

"What is your plan going forward?" Le Jin asked, hands folded behind his back. "The Sect Examination sits one year out. You made a dangerous bet with Wei Zhan. Should you fail—"

He did not finish. Neither of them needed the rest spelled out.

Ken looked up toward the pale morning sky. "I want to get stronger. Properly stronger, not just lucky."

"How," Le Jin asked.

"I want to join the Pill Pavilion," Ken said. "And the Forge Pavilion."

Le Jin blinked. "Both? You understand most disciples only ever manage one."

"I understand."

"You want both anyway."

"Yes."

Le Jin rubbed his temple like the conversation had physically started to hurt. "Why?"

Ken thought it through honestly before answering. "Strength alone will not be enough where I am headed. I need resources. Pills. Proper weapons. I need to actually save my mother, not just talk about it." He paused, a small grin creeping in. "And, honestly, I think it sounds fun."

Le Jin stared at him for a long beat, then burst out laughing. "You really are your mother's son." He nodded once, decision made. "I will arrange the examination."

Ken bowed. "Thank you, Patriarch."

Inside his soul space, Mirinda opened her eyes beneath the shadow of a towering silver dragon statue, red robes pooling around her like flame given fabric.

"You have finally decided," she said.

Ken sat down beside her. "You already knew that, did you not?"

"You have always liked building things," she said, studying him with quiet interest. "You come from a world full of inventions I cannot even picture properly. I have watched enough of your memories now to understand that much."

Ken smiled faintly. "I do miss a few things about it."

"Such as?"

He thought for a second. "Electricity."

She tilted her head. "What is that?"

"You will understand eventually," he said, grinning.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "You really are a strange one." Then her expression softened, something more careful settling behind it. "You do not have to carry everything alone, you know."

Ken looked over at her, caught off guard.

Mirinda glanced away first. "If you have questions about alchemy, I can teach you. Forging knowledge too, to a point."

"Thank you," Ken said quietly.

She crossed her arms, almost defensive. "You saved my life. I still have not repaid that."

"I did not save you expecting repayment," Ken said simply.

For a moment, she went very quiet. Then a small smile crept across her face. "That is precisely what makes you dangerous."

Ken blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," she said, closing her eyes.

Her ears, however, had gone faintly red, and she did not seem particularly eager to explain why.

---

The Pill and Forge Pavilion stood near the heart of the clan grounds, one hall thick with the scent of drying herbs, the other ringing constantly with hammer against metal.

The moment Ken arrived, the crowd noticed.

"That is Le Ken."

"The Panther Spirit disciple."

"He actually came to sign up."

"Wait, is he really taking both examinations?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd, more than a few voices dripping with skepticism.

"Way too arrogant."

"He will fail both."

At the registration table sat two figures who clearly ran this part of the clan without much argument, Elder Mei, composed and sharp eyed, and Elder Han, gruff and visibly unimpressed before Ken even opened his mouth.

"So you are Le Ken," Elder Han said.

"Yes, Elder."

"Forging, you want?"

"Yes."

"And alchemy as well?"

"Yes."

Elder Han snorted. "Ambitious little brat."

Elder Mei's mouth curved into something closer to amusement. "Let us see whether you actually deserve it, then."

She laid out a row of herbs first. "Identify these."

Ken scanned them calmly while half the crowd leaned in, clearly hoping for a spectacular failure.

"Three-Leaf Sun Grass. Moon Dew Flower. Spirit Root Vine. Silver Dust Powder."

Elder Mei's eyebrow rose. "Correct." She added another batch without comment.

Ken answered each one in turn, without hesitation, and the crowd's murmuring slowly died into stunned silence.

"How does he know all of that," someone whispered.

Elder Mei's smile widened. "Interesting indeed."

*Good,* Mirinda's voice echoed inside his mind, dry as ever. *Remember to breathe while you show off, young Ken.*

Ken nearly laughed out loud at that.

Elder Han's turn came next, several raw ores dumped unceremoniously onto the table.

"Your turn, brat."

Ken looked them over. "Black Iron. Cloud Copper. Beast Steel. God Iron. And this one, Starfall Ore."

Elder Han nearly rose out of his seat. "You recognize Starfall Ore?"

"It conducts Beast Qi," Ken said simply.

The old elder's eyes narrowed, then he pointed toward the furnace. "Light it, then. Prove you can do more than name rocks."

Ken raised his hand, and the Recreation Flame answered, red and impossibly warm, rolling out across the furnace until the whole thing roared to life. The crowd flinched backward as one.

"What kind of flame is that," someone shouted.

"That is a Beast Flame," Elder Mei said, already standing.

Elder Han said nothing for a long moment, simply watching the flame bend and settle exactly where Ken willed it, obedient in a way that should not have been possible for someone his age.

"You pass," Elder Han finally said.

"You pass," Elder Mei echoed.

The courtyard erupted.

"He passed both examinations!"

"A dual occupation disciple, actually real!"

"That is genuinely insane."

Ken became the first young disciple in years to earn a place in both pavilions at once.

Once the crowd thinned, Elder Han approached him directly, arms crossed.

"So, brat, what weapon do you actually want to forge?"

Ken's mind drifted somewhere far from this world entirely. Cars. Screens. Machines that ran on something better than luck and lightning.

Then an idea clicked into place, and he smiled slowly.

"I want to build something new," he said.

Elder Han frowned. "New how?"

"A weapon that gathers Beast Qi and releases it," Ken said.

"That is just a normal weapon," Elder Han said, unimpressed.

Ken shook his head. "No, you do not swing this one. You point it."

Elder Han's frown deepened into genuine confusion. "You point it."

"It fires Beast Qi from a distance," Ken said, eyes lighting up.

Even Mirinda stirred with curiosity somewhere in the back of his mind.

"You mean," Elder Han started slowly, working through the concept.

"A blaster," Ken said.

Elder Han stared at him like he had grown a second head. "What kind of nonsense word is that."

Ken grinned. "The kind that changes everything, eventually."

He glanced down at his own hands, thinking through everything still waiting ahead of him. One year until the Sect Examination. Three years until the bet with Wei Zhan came due. The entire Wei family, still simmering with resentment. And somewhere far above all of it, an Upper Realm that had not finished asking questions about him yet.

A long road, no question about that.

But for now, standing in front of a furnace that finally felt like his own, Ken allowed himself a real grin.

"Let us build something impossible, Elder Han."

Deep within the Forge Pavilion, the Recreation Flame burned brighter still, almost eager, as though it already understood exactly what its master intended to become.

The legend of the Shadow Cultivator had only just begun.